Why You Should Sign the Petition Opposing the Transvestic Disorder Diagnosis in the DSM-5
gidreform @ 8:34 am
Kelley Winters, Ph.D.
GID Reform Advocates
www.gidreform.org (http://www.gidreform.org)
http://gidreform.wordpress.com/2010/04/16/why-you-should-sign-the-petition-opposing-the-transvestic-disorder-diagnosis-in-the-dsm-5/ (http://gidreform.wordpress.com/2010/04/16/why-you-should-sign-the-petition-opposing-the-transvestic-disorder-diagnosis-in-the-dsm-5/)
On January 10th, 2010, the American Psychiatric Association released proposed draft revisions for the Fifth Edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) for public comment through April 20th. The DSM is regarded as the medical and social definition of mental disorder throughout North America and strongly influences international psychiatric nomenclature. The DSM-5 proposal includes the diagnostic category Transvestic Disorder, expanding a previous diagnosis of Transvestic Fetishism.
Authored by Dr. Ray Blanchard, of the Toronto Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH, the former Clarke Institute of Psychiatry), the proposed Transvestic Disorder diagnosis is:
* Punative: It punishes gender expression that differs from expectations of male birth-assignment and enforces conformity to masculine social stereotypes.
I think most of us know about Blanchard and what he stands for in the area of cross gender expression. For those who don't, let's just say he has a phobia about it. You can read about him at TS Roadmap - here (http://www.tsroadmap.com/info/ray-blanchard.html)
The article makes sense with its objections.
This is yet further evidence we need to be more active in persuading the DSM-V panel to treat cross gender issues with more understanding and avoid phobic reactions in determining what is a mental disorder and what isn't.